Many immigrants keep regular contacts with relatives and friends in their native countries. They also often visit their native countries. However, international calls and roaming calls can be very expensive.
One current solution is to use a cheap international calling service (e.g. VoIP/Skype or calling card) by an immigrant to call relatives and friends at resident country while using a local SIM card when visiting native country. However, this does not make it cheaper for the relatives and friends to call the immigrant at resident country. Furthermore, changing to a local SIM card often requires two phones (one for the native country and one for the resident country) otherwise the immigrant would have to swap the local SIM with the SIM of resident country).
Another solution is for an immigrant to have a local number offered by a cheap international calling service (e.g. VoIP/Skype or calling card). The local number makes it cheaper for the relatives and friends to call the immigrant. However, the local number often does not support receiving text messages. Furthermore, when the immigrant visits the native country, it does not help reduce the roaming cost.
Yet another solution is to offer an immigrant with a foreign device a local roaming number when visiting the native country. It helps reduce the roaming rate for the immigrant and makes it cheaper for the relatives and friends to call the immigrant when the immigrant is visiting the native country. However, it does not help relatives and friends call the immigrant when the immigrant is not in the native country as the local roaming number is temporary in nature and is not in service when the roamer is no longer registered with the native country mobile operator (e.g. left country or back home). Such solutions are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,505,769 (discussed above) and 7,912,464 entitled “Providing Multiple MSISDN Numbers in a Mobile Device with a Single IMSI,” filed on Aug. 5, 2009, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Yet another solution is to have an alliance between a native country mobile operator and a resident country mobile operator in such a way that the immigrant will have a native country mobile number with a resident country single IMSI mobile device or a foreign mobile number with native country single IMSI mobile device. The mobile device can have a single IMSI SIM where the IMSI can belong either to the native country mobile operator or to the resident country mobile. However, this solution depends on the alliance and requires complex special signaling and billing arrangement. Such a solution is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,505,769 (discussed above).
Yet another solution is to have an alliance between a native country mobile operator and a resident country mobile operator in such a way that the immigrant will have a native country mobile number with a resident country dual/multi-IMSI mobile device or a foreign mobile number with native country dual/multi-IMSI mobile device. The mobile device has a dual (or more) IMSI SIM where one IMSI corresponds to a mobile operator in resident country and the other to the native country. However, this solution depends on the alliance and requires complex special signaling and billing arrangement. Such a solution is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,369,848 entitled “Signaling Gateway with Multiple IMSI with Multiple MSISDN (MIMM) Service in a Single SIM for Multiple Roaming Partners,” filed on May 23, 2006, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Yet another solution (Jiang SIMM-V roaming patent) is to have an outbound roamer of a home operator taking any visiting country SIM by facilitating the automatic forwarding of text message and calls to the roamer's home mobile number to the new visiting country SIM. While this can be offered to a foreign resident mobile with a foreign resident country mobile operator SIM, the solution requires the change back to the home operator SIM when back home in order to enjoy local communication services. Such a solution is described, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/700,964 entitled “Method and System for Keeping All Phone Numbers Active While Roaming with Diverse Operator Subscriber Identity Modules,” filed on Feb. 1, 2007, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
In accordance with the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a cost-effective solution for facilitating mobile communication between an immigrant and its relatives and friends in the native country and for making it convenient for the immigrant to visit the native country.